pblueturtle has left 23 comments

pblueturtle comments on fernando21

Hey Fernando! Again I truly enjoyed staying at your place. It was like a dream! I am always proud to call people who work hard are honest and enjoy doing the right thing for others my friend. I look forward to the next I come back to Bogota, which will be in November. In the meantime, stay safe and in good health! Give my best to you and your family as well!

pblueturtle comments on Lostgringo

Thanks for the comment Lost Gringo! I will definitely take you up on your offer the next time I come to Bogota. I'm here all the time and can't get enought of this place! To top it off I haven't even scratched the surface as far as discovering all of the hidden beauty that the cities of Bogota and Cali have let alone the rest of the country! Of course I am not talking about the women, it's very hard to miss them since they are the most beautiful women in the world inside and out in my humble opinion...lol All I need is just one good wife, but it's hard to choose since ther are so many gourgeous women who are willing to treat you like a king!

pblueturtle comments on SINCE TODAY.......ROOMS TO SHARE IN NORTH BOGOTA, WE ARE IN SALE!!!!!!!!

Pappassito, I can confidently say that you are rude and don't know what you are talking about. I truly don't believe you have even seen photos of this place let alone been there. I would venture to guess you've probably never even been to Colombia! It's either that or you're the competition trying to hurt someone's business. I'll back up what I am saying right now with my story. I arrived in Bogota last saturday night on the 2nd of September and I was staying in Barrio Calanderia. The name of the hotel is called Hotel Ambalá and it is a beautiful hotel that this website recommends and I agree. The service was excellent and the rooms are beautiful although they are small. The price is also very good, only 50,000COP per night. However, the only problem I had was that it was too far from all of my friends in Northern Bogota and even with the cheap taxi prices it got to be very expensive. Well, I had to change hotels and in Northern Bogota it is much more expensive because the barrio is nicer and safer. My friends were trying to help me search for a place the next day within my budget and finally I settled on a place that was not so nice. I can´t remember the name right now but I´ll post it later. Needless to say, I was not happy because it had a very bad odor from the smoke and also the bedding was old and looked very dirty in addition to smelling funky! To top it off they wanted to charge 85,000COP per night! I hate to say these things about the hotel and I´m a guy so I'm not very picky. However, I do not compromise on two things. One of them is cleanliness, the other is service. I don´t have to eat off the floors and I don´t expect my feet to be washed by virginal maidens, but I do expect basic ordinary cleanliness and service that is expected according to any industrialized nation. Needles to say, I left after a few hours and in the middle of the night. The only good thing that I can say is that the receptionist was very understanding and did not charge me anything(I love Colombians!). As a side note, I only left this hotel after my friends departed and I had a chance to search in the phone book. I didn´t want to tell my friends how I really felt when they asked me if I liked the room because they were all tired from helping me search and also I did not want to cause them shame. Colombians feel great pain if they feel like they have not done their best, or given their best to help you. Anyway, I finally found a place for 90,000COP per night called Casa Rincon Del Chico. It is in barrio Chico and this place was decent, not spectacular though because it is very old. However, they have a great staff, the rooms were clean, it has internet and you can make local calls from your room. The only thing you need to be careful of is the fact that although taxes are included, they charge you each time you make a local phone call, and use the internet. The upside is that they have a wonderful restaurant in the hotel that serves breakfast and lunch that is filling and cheap. The price is the same for breakfast and lunch, which is 4,500COP. The locals also love it because the two days that I stayed there it was always overflowing with local people for lunch. Lots of business professionals eat there. However, again this place still was not close enough for me and I continued searching for a place here on PBH. Anyway, that brings me to my friend Alirio and the apt. that I affectionately call "The Palace". This place has got to be one of the cleanest, most beautiful places that I've stayed at here in Bogota, or Cali. I travel to both places as often as I can. I have stayed in theHotel Andes Plaza in Bogota and "The Palace" is even more beautiful! I'm paying $25usd per night for a room. With this price I would need to share the apt. with other travelers because there are two other bedrooms(I'm the only one in the apt. right now). However, Alirio also told me the price per night to rent the entire apt. and it is cheaper than the Hotel Andes Plaza! I'm sure that the longer you stay the cheaper the price will be. The apt is brand new, with geogeous new furniture, a television, 3 bdrms., 2.5 baths, a full kitchen, washer for clothes, 24 hour security, wired for internet, underground parking and to top it all off it is in one of the most beautiful and exclusive residential neighborhoods in Bogota! There are also plenty of shops and restaurants nearby. I can't tell you how happy I am to have found this place! If any of you out there are like me, you work hard for your money and want the best that it can buy. Well this is definitely one of those times where you can do that! In addition, let me mention a few things about Alirio. The guy is great! He responded to me very quickly when I inquired about "The Palace" and he even came to pick me up at my old hotel to take me to "The Palace"! He was very accommodating and polite. However, this is no surprise to me since Colombians are like this in general . They definitely have a higher standard of how to treat one another and foreigners than the U.S. in my humble opinion. I can't say enough good things about Alirio, Colombians, or Colombia and if I had the opporunity I would definitely live here. Well, I hope that this extra long post helps anyone searching for a place, or someone that will provide exceptional, quality service. Please do not hesitate to contact Alirio. By the way, if any of you guys have a beautiful novia here in Bogota, I'm sure that Alirio can help you with any engagement rings, or jewelry, since he told me that his main business is the jewelry business. Lastly, I just want everyone to know that what I have said here comes from the heart and I am generous with my compliments if I have received a great product and great service. I believe we need more of this because it is too easy to complain and criticize when something goes wrong. Plus I like to help a business get more business if I like them and I also want to help all the wandering travelers like myself who have absolutely no idea what their going to get until they get there unless they have the help of a previous patron. That's one of the reasons I love this site and have been a member for many years! Until next time, safe travels!

pblueturtle comments on HEY,,, AMAZING ROOMS TO SHARE IN NORTH BOGOTA

Listen to this guy! I found another post that he has and asked about the rooms for $25 a night. I was already here and needed a better alternative than what I had. I just moved into the apt. and it is fabulous! It's even more beautiful than the pictures that he sent me! Let me give you guys my story. I arrived in Bogota last saturday night on the 2nd of September and I was staying in Barrio Calanderia. The name of the hotel is called Hotel Ambalá and it is a beautiful hotel that this website recommends and I agree. The service was excellent and the rooms are beautiful although they are small. The price is also very good, only 50,000COP per night. However, the only problem I had was that it was too far from all of my friends in Northern Bogota and even with the cheap taxi prices it got to be very expensive. Well, I had to change hotels and in Northern Bogota it is much more expensive because the barrio is nicer and safer. My friends were trying to help me search for a place the next day within my budget and finally I settled on a place that was not so nice. I can´t remember the name right now but I´ll post it later. Needless to say, I was not happy because it had a very bad odor from the smoke and also the bedding was old and looked very dirty in addition to smelling funky! To top it off they wanted to charge 85,000COP per night! I hate to say these things about the hotel and I´m a guy so I'm not very picky. However, I do not compromise on two things. One of them is cleanliness, the other is service. I don´t have to eat off the floors and I don´t expect my feet to be washed by virginal maidens, but I do expect basic ordinary cleanliness and service that is expected according to any industrialized nation. Needles to say, I left after a few hours and in the middle of the night. The only good thing that I can say is that the receptionist was very understanding and did not charge me anything(I love Colombians!). As a side note, I only left this hotel after my friends departed and I had a chance to search in the phone book. I didn´t want to tell my friends how I really felt when they asked me if I liked the room because they were all tired from helping me search and also I did not want to cause them shame. Colombians feel great pain if they feel like they have not done their best, or given their best to help you. Anyway, I finally found a place for 90,000COP per night called Casa Rincon Del Chico. It is in barrio Chico and this place was decent, not spectacular though because it is very old. However, they have a great staff, the rooms were clean, it has internet and you can make local calls from your room. The only thing you need to be careful of is the fact that although taxes are included, they charge you each time you make a local phone call, and use the internet. The upside is that they have a wonderful restaurant in the hotel that serves breakfast and lunch that is filling and cheap. The price is the same for breakfast and lunch, which is 4,500COP. The locals also love it because the two days that I stayed there it was always overflowing with local people for lunch. Lots of business professionals eat there. However, again this place still was not close enough for me and I continued searching for a place here on PBH. Anyway, that brings me to my friend Alirio and the apt. that I affectionately call "The Palace". This place has got to be one of the cleanest, most beautiful places that I've stayed at here in Bogota, or Cali. I travel to both places as often as I can. I have stayed in theHotel Andes Plaza in Bogota and "The Palace" is even more beautiful! I'm paying $25usd per night for a room. With this price I would need to share the apt. with other travelers because there are two other bedrooms(I'm the only one in the apt. right now). However, Alirio also told me the price per night to rent the entire apt. and it is cheaper than the Hotel Andes Plaza! I'm sure that the longer you stay the cheaper the price will be. The apt is brand new, with geogeous new furniture, a television, 3 bdrms., 2.5 baths, a full kitchen, washer for clothes, 24 hour security, wired for internet, underground parking and to top it all off it is in one of the most beautiful and exclusive residential neighborhoods in Bogota! There are also plenty of shops and restaurants nearby. I can't tell you how happy I am to have found this place! If any of you out there are like me, you work hard for your money and want the best that it can buy. Well this is definitely one of those times where you can do that! In addition, let me mention a few things about Alirio. The guy is great! He responded to me very quickly when I inquired about "The Palace" and he even came to pick me up at my old hotel to take me to "The Palace"! He was very accommodating and polite. However, this is no surprise to me since Colombians are like this in general . They definitely have a higher standard of how to treat one another and foreigners than the U.S. in my humble opinion. I can't say enough good things about Alirio, Colombians, or Colombia and if I had the opporunity I would definitely live here. Well, I hope that this extra long post helps anyone searching for a place, or someone that will provide exceptional, quality service. Please do not hesitate to contact Alirio. By the way, if any of you guys have a beautiful novia here in Bogota, I'm sure that Alirio can help you with any engagement rings, or jewelry, since he told me that his main business is the jewelry business. Lastly, I just want everyone to know that what I have said here comes from the heart and I am generous with my compliments if I have received a great product and great service. I believe we need more of this because it is too easy to complain and criticize when something goes wrong. Plus I like to help a business get more business if I like them and I also want to help all the wandering travelers like myself who have absolutely no idea what their going to get until they get there unless they have the help of a previous patron. That's one of the reasons I love this site and have been a member for many years! Until next time, safe travels!

pblueturtle comments on A room in Northern Bogota

Cereal Killer, I'm sorry. I got the name of the Barrio wrong. It's actually called Batan, which is very close to Santa Barbara. By the way, I just moved into the apt. and it is fabulous! Let me give you guys my story. I arrived in Bogota last saturday night on the 2nd of September and I was staying in Barrio Calanderia. The name of the hotel is called Hotel Ambalá and it is a beautiful hotel that this website recommends and I agree. The service was excellent and the rooms are beautiful although they are small. The price is also very good, only 50,000COP per night. However, the only problem I had was that it was too far from all of my friends in Northern Bogota and even with the cheap taxi prices it got to be very expensive. Well, I had to change hotels and in Northern Bogota it is much more expensive because the barrio is nicer and safer. My friends were trying to help me search for a place the next day within my budget and finally I settled on a place that was not so nice. I can´t remember the name right now but I´ll post it later. Needless to say, I was not happy because it had a very bad odor from the smoke and also the bedding was old and looked very dirty in addition to smelling funky! To top it off they wanted to charge 85,000COP per night! I hate to say these things about the hotel and I´m a guy, so not very picky. However, I do not compromise on two things. One of them is cleanliness, the other is service. I don´t have to eat off the floors and I don´t expect my feet to be washed by virginal maidens, but basic ordinary cleanliness and service that is expected according to any industrialized nation. Needles to say, I left after a few hours and in the middle of the night. The only good thing that I can say is that the receptionist was very understanding and did not charge me anything(I love Colombians!). As a side note I only left this hotel after my friends departed and I had a chance to search in the phone book. I didn´t want to tell my friends how I really felt because they were all tired from helping me search and also I did not want to cause them shame. Colombians feel great pain if they feel like they have not done their best, or given their best to help you. Anyway, I finally found a place for 90,000COP per night called Casa Rincon Del Chico. It is in barrio Chico and this place was decent, not spectacular though because it is very old. However, they have a great staff, the rooms were clean, it has internet and you can make local calls from your room. The only thing you need to be careful of is the fact that although taxes are included, they charge you each time you make a local phone call, and use the internet. The upside is that they have a wonderful restaurant in the hotel that serves breakfast and lunch that is filling and cheap. The price is the same for breakfast and lunch, which is 4,500COP. The locals also love it because the two days that I stayed there it was always overflowing with local people for lunch. Lots of business professionals eat there. However, again this place still was not close enough for me and I continued searching for a place here on PBH. I did find one as I said at the outset and I´ll tell you guys about it very soon because I have to go and meet some friends now. I hope that what I´ve said so far helps anyone traveling to Bogota soon!

pblueturtle comments on A room in Northern Bogota

The name of the Barrio is Batam

pblueturtle comments on A room in Northern Bogota

Thanks guys, this helps alot. I'm still searching and found one potential near the transmilenio station #127. I'm going over now and will keep you posted!

pblueturtle comments on For Rent:Apartastudio in Cali (Barrio Versalles)

Whats up Arthur! It´s me Parrish! Just thought I would send you a shout out. I'm in Bogota right now for the week. Hey do you have any contacts here for a nice and reasonably priced place in Northern Bogota Barrio: Chico? I´m paying 90,000COP per night right now and the place is not the best. Everywhere else in this area seems to be more expensive. By the way I´m a little bit flexible with going outside to a nearby barrio, but I can't stray too far. I'll be going back to Cali soon and will probably be staying at the same place as last time. So I´ll keep you posted. Until next time hang 10 brother!

pblueturtle comments on Cali Hotel

I Got a Great Recommendation if you´re a budget Traveler like me. I´m staying at Aparta Studios in Barrio Granada for 2 weeks and I love it! It´s near Avenida Sexta which is one of the main social and business districts in Cali. The price is 400,000cop ($192us) has all the basics(like cable tv, maid etc.)I don´t believe there is internet and you call the front desk to dial any phone numbers (with the exception of cel phones, their system is not capable) for you then they transfer them to your room. Also the phones disconnect after about 5 minutes so you have to make the call short or call back. Most importantly it is clean and safe. Only one thing though....if you are not adventurous like me, you won´t like the cold showers. There is only cold water, which is bearable (we´re not talking about artic freeze here). However, for the price it is a small sacrifice for me. Art also tells me that they are working on getting hot water in the near future. I know that one of the top floors is already being remodeled. It´s quite common for people to have only cold water for the whole house because to keep water heated is very expensive. In the past I´ve stayed with a middle class family that only had cold water. Make sure you ask and don´t take it for granted that every place is like the U.S. That´s one of the biggest mistakes that westerners make and they unnecessarily go through culture shock. If you keep the mental attitude that it WILL BE DIFFERENT than home then it will prepare you for even the unexpected and with your sense of humor in tact. Also, listen to Art Brode! He can help you with whatever you need and is prompt, professional and courteous. Most importantly I have found him to be honest. He helped me get my place at the hotel I´m staying in right now and it´s perfect for my needs. Hope my personal experience helps.

pblueturtle comments on Comprando Ropas en Cali(Buying Clothes in Cali)

Wow! Man Art those are nice!

pblueturtle comments on Comprando Ropas en Cali(Buying Clothes in Cali)

Such as the one Such as the kind of hat that will make me look like a caballerro?

pblueturtle comments on Comprando Ropas en Cali(Buying Clothes in Cali)

Cool Sounds good to me. I figured I would save a few bucks and help support their economy at the same time.

pblueturtle comments on Comprando Ropas en Cali(Buying Clothes in Cali)

I forgot I'll also need to buy a leather briefcase and would love to get a genuine colombian brand.

pblueturtle comments on Need a Good Map

A Big Help! Both of these sites are great guys. Thanks a bunch!

pblueturtle comments on A GOOD HOSTEL?

astroanne Looks like you're right astroanne. By the looks of the pictures on the website it looks very lovely. It's nice to know I have plenty of exceptional options to stay in Cali. Mi segundo hogar siempre :)

pblueturtle comments on A GOOD HOSTEL?

Andrecocali Thanks for the offer andrecocali I would love to talk to you a little more about some of the details since I'm trying to find a balance between saving as much money as I can and being comfortable in a safe and clean environment. Let me know how to contact you so that we can talk.

pblueturtle comments on A GOOD HOSTEL?

Thanks Everyone Guys you are life-savers and a big help. I appreciate everyone's input and suggestions. This is why I am so glad that Peter set up this website and why I keep coming back after many years. Kudos to everyone.

pblueturtle comments on A GOOD HOSTEL?

OK I just sent you my email. Thanks.

pblueturtle comments on A GOOD HOSTEL?

Flexible on my dates Arthur, I am flexible on my dates in May if you can accomodate me with a cheaper room.

pblueturtle comments on A GOOD HOSTEL?

Work out a deal? I'm not sure about your deal because I have been to Cali twice before and I know I can get a better deal with a comparably nice room and in a residential neighborhood in the north part of the city, which is where I want to be anyway.

pblueturtle comments on A GOOD HOSTEL?

Great Pictures! Do you have a place available for two weeks on the dates of 5/14/07 thru 5/28/07? I saw your Cali rentals post and wanted to see if you had the 400,000 peso deal. Thanks

pblueturtle comments on Cali Rentals

Apartment in Cali Do you have a place available for the dates of 5/14/07 thru 5/28/07?

pblueturtle comments on Spanish Language Software

Spanish Language Software Gracias para su ayuda Kim!